Is modern Christianity teaching people
to love God or sacrifice? What exactly are we proclaiming? Is there anyone out
there who would not agree that love is an insufficiently valued asset in Christianity?
We suspect other folks in different faith traditions might ask a similar question.
Since we Christians predicate everything we say on the demonstration of God’s
love in Jesus Christ, it is high time to carry through a deconstruction of our
own tradition. Our text, in a sense, commands us to do so. We believe that if
we engage our faith critically and unafraid, we will more and more begin to
manifest the Love of God for the world in the Lord Jesus. If we do not, we will
be nothing more than a dim light, a pale echo of our former self, a community
of whom it used to be said “behold, how they love one another.”
We have stressed the difference previously
between religion and spirituality. It is worth repeating. Religion is for
people trying to stay out of hell; spirituality is for those who’ve
been there. Don’t imagine that either Jesus’ or the scribe’s
response came cheaply. These are views that are earned after much soul searching.
There is a profound prophetic disjunction between religion and spirituality.
There is also a deep hunger for the real Jesus in the churches and, sadly,
far too many people are being fed not only pabulum, but poison.
Christian theology must deal with this
‘religious poison’ as it enters the twenty first century or else
all consequent theology that it does will just be another mimetic repetition
of the violence laden mimetic theology of the past. Christianity is truly
at a crossroads as we see it. In the gospel we are set free to chose to Love
God and our neighbor. We can chose this gospel or we can mythologize it and
package it as the ‘Christian’ form of mimetic religion. Being
Christian, of course, makes it the best, the only true way (sic). [As though
Jesus didn’t carry a cross. As though a theology of the cross and a
spirituality of the cross did not exist.]
Must God be violent? Will we Christians
always view our loving God through the lens of religion? Of sacrifice? Of
law and punishment? Or will we, like so many others, discover the joy of the
gospel, and the sheer delight of following Jesus, of Loving God and all those
we meet? Will we answer as wisely as the scribe?
Yes Virginia, there is a positive mimesis.
If Girardians tend to focus a lot of their discussion on the negative aspects
of mimesis it is because the effects of negative mimesis are so apparent. We
have asked the question, “what have been the effects of negative mimesis
on Christian theology and life?” The churches have often proclaimed a
negative mimetic (anti) Christology. The church has gummed up Christology in
it’s theology, spirituality and life. It is sometimes difficult to look
out across the landscape of Christendom and say “I see Jesus.’ On
the other hand, it is quite easy to discern the negative effects of mimesis
on the Christian faith. Some in their hurry to dethrone the gospels are quick
to assert that the gospels are anti-Semitic or anti-woman or anti this or anti
that. Really the only thing that is dethroned is the dualist christology and
the poor hermeneutics of the church. And that is a good thing.
Until it is acknowledged that Christianity
has falsely associated the Creator with violence, we will not get what is
occurring in our text today. If we cannot see this ‘distinguishing’
Jesus is making between the Creator and the gods and theologies of mimetic
religion, then we will not understand how the scribe in our text could be
so close to the Kingdom of God as Jesus perceived it.
When the gospels are read through the
lens of mimetic theory it becomes clear that the distinguishing characteristic
of Jesus was his absolute commitment to non-violence, non-retaliation, non-retribution.
Forgivenss, love, the abba, the healings, all indicate that the Creator is
not like the gods of the victimage mechanism, gods who demand sacrifice. And,
as the agent of the Creator, Jesus enfleshes the character of the Creator
in his character. His story is the story of a life that has been repeated
many times over since. There are those who have chosen Jesus above all else.
We call them saints.
Now it would be a travesty to limit our
saints to those of our canonical calendars. There have always been and there
always will be those persons for whom Jesus was their sole passion. St. Francis,
St. Patrick, St. Teresa, not to mention St. Matthew or St. Paul or St. Mary
Magdalene. But there are, hiding in our midst, people who have a secret passion
for Jesus and as they contemplate his story their lives are changed and more
and more one can say of them, ‘I see Jesus.’ Some of them are
in the churches, many are not. But they are still saints. These folks have
often undergone tremendous testing, full of trauma and suffering. But they
have an unfailing trust in God’s benevolence. And that is what sets
them apart from others. That is what makes a saint, a saint.
When we read the writings or traditions
of the saints, we hear one theme being echoed over and over again: they are
so aware that they are loved by God. It permeates their being. Their emotions,
their thoughts, the language they use cannot begin to contain the power of
the love of which they are aware. That is why when we read them we think “Wow,
they were on some higher level.” Fact is, they chose to obey the greatest
commandment.
Their developing awareness of God’s
kindness and benevolence also contains a deep self awareness that is conceived
of as fault, forgiveness and humility. That is, the awareness of the deep
nature of their ‘mimetic’ (= sinful) self and the corresponding
break (bend [C.S. Lewis], fault [Paul Ricoeur]), in the light of the mercy
and compassion of God seen in the life and death of Jesus, produces a view
of the self that is connected and interrelated but is not the center of all
things. This is humility. This is an expression of positive mimesis, of following
Jesus.
What did the scribe say that earned the
positive praise of Jesus? He connected positive mimesis (= loving God and
neighbor) with awareness of false ‘positive’ mimesis (= sacrifice).
He understood that there was a distinction to be made between loving God and
religion. The God who commands us to love is the God who is Love. Sacrifice
is not love. Sacrifice is about death and taking of life. Love is about giving,
love is life-giving. Just like you can’t love God and mammon so you
cannot love God and the gods generated by the generative mimetic scapegoating
mechanism.
One sees this is the writings of the
saints in their ‘inclusiveness.’ No matter who they write for
or to they all speak inclusively, as though everyone was loved as they were.
They made no distinctions between rich and poor, they transcended seeing people
through the eyes of social hierarchy, and discerned that ‘what God has
done for them God has done for all, and what God has done for all, God has
done for them’ (as Barth might put it). The saints typically do not
have scapegoats, particularly those saints with a deep and abiding connection
to the earth.
There is a lot of excellent literature
on the greatest commandment. See the commentaries for recommendations (we favor
the essays by Luise Schottroff).
Though there are rabbinic parallels to
discussions concerning the greatest commandment (see the Mishnah), it is the
scribe’s anti sacrificial response that is noteworthy.
While Matthew may omit the scribes positive
response and use this as a conflict story, he still retains the essential
notion (love/mercy is better than sacrifice) in his citation of Hosea 6.6
twice in his gospel
Either this page has not yet been completed, or we have not found any significant textual issues in the lectionary texts for this Sunday.
Introductory Articles
We will add articles as we are able,
or as users of the site request them, so if you have suggestions for additional
pieces, please write to us!
"Introduction
to Mimetic Theory"
"Mimesis"
"The
Scapegoat"
"The
Pillars of Culture"
"Jesus"
"The
Four Gospels"
A Brief Introduction
to Luke
What's New:
What's New? on Preaching Peace. (Hover your mouse over to pause cycling) |
Ru 1:1-18 or * Dt 6:1-9
Ps 146 * Ps 119:1-8
Heb 9:11-14
Mk 12:28-34
(Ruth 1:1-18)
In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain
man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his
wife and two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife
Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; they were Ephrathites
from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.
But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons.
These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the
other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Chilion
also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab,
for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had considered his
people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she had been
living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go
back to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go
back each of you to your mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you,
as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The LORD grant that you may find
security, each of you in the house of your husband." Then she kissed
them, and they wept aloud. They said to her, "No, we will return with
you to your people." But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters, why
will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become
your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have
a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have
a husband tonight and bear sons, would you then wait until they were grown?
Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more
bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the LORD has turned against
me." Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but
Ruth clung to her. So she said, "See, your sister-in-law has gone back
to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." But
Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following
you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall
be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die-- there will
I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even
death parts me from you!" When Naomi saw that she was determined to go
with her, she said no more to her.
* (Deuteronomy 6:1-9)
Now this is the commandment--the statutes and the ordinances-- that the LORD
your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about
to cross into and occupy, so that you and your children and your children's
children, may fear the LORD your God all the days of your life, and keep all
his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days
may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that
it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing
with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised
you. Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the
LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite
them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you
are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your
hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts
of your house and on your gates.
(Hebrews 9:11-14)
But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then
through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of
this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the
blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal
redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the
ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh
is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from
dead works to worship the living God!
(Mark 12:28-34)
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and
seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is
the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel:
the Lord our God, the Lord is one; youshall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your
strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
There is no other commandment greater than these." Then the scribe said
to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that 'he is one,
and besides him there is no other'; and 'to love him with all the heart, and
with all the understanding, and with all the strength,' and 'to love one's
neighbor as oneself,'--this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings
and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him,
"You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that no one dared
to ask him any question.
Occasional Articles
As with the Introductory Articles, we
will add other articles as time permits or as our readers request. If you
have a suggestion for anything, please let us know.
Michael Hardin
Is the Apocalypse Inevitable?: Native American Prophecy and the Mimetic Theory presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
Michael's Essay for a Celebration Volume honoring Rene Girard
Michael's Response to Willard Swartley's Covenent of Peace at the November Colloquium and Violence Meeting
Does
Peace Make A Difference? - Michael's essay in response to Rick
Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan (which somehow never mentions peace).
An Analysis of Rick Warren - Michael's response to "The Purpose Driven Life."
"The
God of Pat Robertson" - a response to Pat Robertson's words
to the people of Dover, PA.
"A
response to Charles Stanley's "A Nation at War"
"Must
God be violent? A Diagnosis and Prescription for Modern Christianity"
The
Scapegoat: Christologies in Conflict - A Study in Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Biblical
Testaments as a Marriage of Convenience: Rene Girard and Biblical Interpretation
Finding
Our Way Home: A Brief Note On The Authority and Interpretation of Scripture
"Does
The Passion of the Christ Preach the Gospel?"
A
sermon for the holiday devoted to Dr. Martin Luther King. (requires
Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
GRASPING
GOD: Philippians 2: 1-11 in the Light of Mimetic Theory
Essay on Brethren Life & Thought to Rene Girard and the Recovery of Early Christian Perspectives (Brethren Life and Thought)
Essay on Mimesis and Dominion to The Dynamics of Violence and the Imitation of Christ in maximus Confessor (St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly)
"EcoSpirituality"
Or What Happens When You Sit Down With A French Literary Critic
Jeff Krantz
Mighty
One or Crucified Messiah? Competing Christologies and the Chiastic
Structure of Mark's Gospel
There's
No Such Thing as the Rapture - A sermon preached at the Church
of the Advent, Westbury (requires Acrobat Reader)
Holy
Scripture and the Consecration of Gene Robinson - a response
to the request of the Windsor Report for a Scriptural rationale. (requires
Adobe's Acrobat Reader)
Worship - The Redemption of Desire by Jeff Krantz
Myth
and Film - a piece written for the City of Angels Film Festival
The Stations of the Cross - Rewritten by Jeff Krantz
A Dramatic Presentation of the Stations of the Cross for Youth by Barb Fabijan-Waddell
Escaping
the Power of "My" - A NonViolent Approach to Stewardship
Preaching
Peace in Hollywood: The Theologies of Terminator, Lord of the Rings, and the
Matrix
V
for Vendetta - The Name Says It All A review of the movie.
Essays, Sermons and Liturgical Pieces by Friends of Preaching Peace
"Jesus and the Gibeonites: Reading the Bible from the Perspective of the Hidden Victim" by James Warren.
Mark Heim's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement
Kate Layzer's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement (and inspiration for Mark Heim's hymn!)
Alan Cork, "Transformation" in L'Arche: A Mimetic Account presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
"The Wisdom of God's Peace" a sermon by Jim Amstutz, co-pastor of Michael's church.
Girard's Christology - Per Bjornar Grande
Violence, Anarchy and Scripture: Jacques Ellul and Rene Girard - Matthew Patillo
Comparing
Plato's Understanding of Mimesis to Girard's - Per Bjorner Grande
C. Frank Terhune, an Easter Sermon: "God's Big But" (no kidding!)
Gerald Biesecker-Mast's paper from Theologia Pacis on Pacifist Gospel Epstimology.
An essay by the Rev. John Hill on Mimetic Theory and Catechesis
